Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Public Comment Request; of the One Protection and Advocacy Annual Program Performance Report OMB #0985-0063
The Administration for Community Living is announcing that the proposed collection of information listed above has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) fo...
Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Administration for Community Living is announcing that the proposed collection of information listed above has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 30-Day notice collects comments on the information collection requirements related to the information collection requirements of the One Protection and Advocacy Annual Program Performance Report.
DATES:
Submit written comments on the collection of information by June 2, 2022.
ADDRESSES:
Submit written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain
Find the information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. By mail to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, New Executive Office Bldg., 725 17th St. NW, Rm. 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for ACL.
This is a revision to a currently approved information collection (IC) the Protection and Advocacy One Program Performance Report (PPR). The One PRR is comprised of four required annual reports as follows: (1) Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy Systems Program Performance Report, (2) Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT) Program Performance Report; (3) Protection and Advocacy Voting Access Annual Report (Help America Vote Act) (HAVA); and (4) Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) Program Performance Report.
Each P&A submits using the One-PPR one report for each of the four funding sources administered by ACL. As with each funding source, there is a reporting requirement. The revision under this clearance includes information collection based on funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines (ACCESS) and funding under Section 2501 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2) to expand the Public Health Workforce (PHWF) provided under). In an effort to reduce the burden on the P&As, each will continue to submit one report for all funding sources; however, as of FY2022, the report will incorporate the activities undertaken for the ACCESS and PHWF funding by creating a new goal or priority in Part 2C and adding the narrative in Part 2.C.4 (Rationale for Adding/Changing Goal) or 2.C.5 (Rationale for Adding/Changing Priority). The guidance document provides a description of the data elements to be included in this section of the One-PPR template.
State Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems in each State and Territory provide individual legal advocacy, systemic advocacy, monitoring, and investigations to protect and advance the rights of people with developmental disabilities, using funding administered by the Administration on Disabilities (AoD), Administration for Community Living, HHS. To meet statutory reporting requirements, P&As use these forms for submitting annual reports.
The PPRs are reviewed by federal staff for compliance and outcomes. Information in the reports is analyzed to create a national profile of programmatic compliance, outcomes, and goals and priorities for P&A Systems for tracking accomplishments against goals and to formulate areas of technical assistance related to compliance with Federal requirements. Information collected informs AoD of trends in P&A advocacy, facilitate collaboration with other federally funded entities, and identify best practices for the efficient use of federal funds.
Additionally, the information is used to provide a national perspective on where the program is going (prospective view), and to provide a gage for program accomplishments against program objectives for purposes of identifying continuing challenges and formulating technical assistance and management support provided to P&A systems.
Comments in Response to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice
The 60-day notice
Federal Register
,
Vol. 87, No. 26 7182
FRN was published on
February 8, 2022.
ACL received 32 comments from 7 entities in response to the 60-day notice. Comments included concerns relating to demographic information, burden of effort, estimate of the developmental disabilities' population, and clarification needed in the guidance document. ACL's responses to these comments are included below.
Organization
Section
Comment
Response
Disability Rights Maine
1C
Noted demographic information collected could be improved to better reflect diversity and cultural competency. The current choices are male and female. Recommended including a broad range of gender identify options. In addition, there is limited information on racial and ethnic diversity of individuals served. Recommended including whether a person is part of an immigrant community
ACL intends to update this element to reflect appropriate options.
Disability Rights Maine
Part 3
Recommended including additional demographic information about the board, staff, and advisory council, similar to recommendations for 1C
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Maine
None
Burden of hours of 140 to compile the One-PPR is correct; however, this estimate does not include the amount of time spent by staff to collect and input required information in its case management system
As a result of the required information, no changes will be made at this time.
( printed page 26205)
Disability Rights Michigan
None
The amount of time spent for this report is cumbersome, unnecessarily duplicative, and feels unconnected to the overall “why”. The team of four spent 203 hours over 3 months to complete the report. The time and resources required to complete this report would be better spent serving clients. Additionally, the data reporting requirements also interact with this P&A's timekeeping and accounting systems, creating additional reporting complexity for grant projects. Recommended requesting information similarly to the PAIR report
As a result of the required information, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Michigan
1A
This comment relates to 1A-I, 1J-P, 2A, 3A, 3B, 3C-J. The number of people served, cases closed, cases opened, people impacted, and other categories are reported in six sections of the report. The data reporting is duplicative and confusing
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Michigan
1C
Gender reporting is currently limited to male and female. Recommended expanding the choice to create a truer description of the gender identities of the people served
ACL intends to update this element to reflect appropriate options.
Disability Rights New York
1C
This section requires reporting on the gender of individuals serviced. The current choices are male and female. P&As across the nation proudly support LGBTQ people with disabilities. Recommended permitting a broader array of responses, which would result in a negligible increase in the reporting burden on the P&As. However, it would make a marked difference in the ability of P&As to collect and report accurate and affirming gender demographic information
ACL intends to update this element to reflect appropriate options.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Commend ACL and NDRN for the important work and vital support and guidance provided. Would like One-PPR streamlined so as not to divert time to reporting that could be spent on substantive work and to provide information that is more understandable, straightforward, and useful to the government and the public
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
1L
Most group cases are not focused on specific living arrangements or ages, creating confusion as to whether multiple living arrangements or ages should be chosen
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
1O
Most group cases are not focused on specific living arrangements or ages, creating confusion as to whether multiple living arrangements or ages should be chosen
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
1P
Seeks information about “race/ethnicity of groups served” but noted that the information is included in IJ6
The guide has been updated.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
2A
This reflects goals and priorities for the completed fiscal year; unfortunately, the result is not a reader-friendly report. The result narratives are effectively limited to activities that have quantifiable outcomes based on the performance measurements, which are not sufficiently comprehensive. Additionally, “end outcomes” and “performance measures” are viewed as the same
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Part 3
The term “performance measurements” is confusing when it appears to mean “end outcomes”. Eleven end outcomes/performance measures are in some ways repetitive and in many ways not comprehensive
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
3A
Reporting on end outcomes for systemic litigation, educating policy makers, and other systemic activities is challenging because it does not really allow P&A to avoid duplication
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
3B
One-PPR asks for the number of people whose rights were advanced through class or system-impact litigation and for people whose rights were enforced, protected, or restored by non-litigation group activities. There is a potential for duplication due to data requested in 3A
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
2D
Information in this section is the same from year-to-year so it is unclear why it needs to be repeated annually
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
Part 5
This section requires the P&A to identify collaboration partners, but it is unclear what constitutes a collaboration partner
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
6C
This section asks for information on the number of Board members who are primary or secondary PADD, PATBI, PAIMI, PAIR, or PABSS consumers and who are AT users. Some board members may fall into more than one category but the P&A can only choose to put them in one category. This information is not an accurate reflection of consumer involvement in the Board
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
On page 20 of Guide, the number of clients for PADD can never exceed 1.58% of a state's population, yet the DD population almost certainly exceed 1.58%. Recommended updating this figure or allowing each P&A to calculate based on their jurisdiction
While the 1.58% has not been changed, a clarifying sentence was added to the guide.
Disability Rights Pennsylvania
None
Recommended reconsidering the definition of “individual advocacy”
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
1B
Recommended removing problems and subproblems used infrequently
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
1E
Noted #1 and #2 are not mutually exclusive. Concerned about the way in which fully and partially met goals are categorized. Recommended combining #8 and #9
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
1P
Recommended revising instructions relating to how group projects should be counted, to provide clarity
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Part 2
Noted it is time-consuming to provide narrative for each example. Recommended allowing for more broad discussion on goals and priorities and eliminate quantitative measures
As a result of the required information, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Part 3
Noted small differences in performance measures. Recommended changing performance measures in Part 3D; 3F; 3G; and 3H. Additional instructions are needed in Guide
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Part 3.C
Considered #3 duplicative of Part 1E
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
( printed page 26206)
Disability Rights Wisconsin
None
Noted that report is extremely time consuming since data and narratives are requested in different ways. One-PPR attempts to quantify result of P&A work, but it does not do enough to ensure that numbers reported have an understandable meaning. Additionally, there is little guidance on what numbers should be used for various types of activities. However, even if this guidance was thorough, there is too much to report on
As a result of the required information, no changes will be made at this time.
Family & Friends of Care Facility Residents
None
Reporting of use of public funds to the administering agency by federal grantees is necessary. Accurate, non-partisan reporting by the protection and advocacy systems must be foundational for ACL. As the administering agency, ACL must assure accountability for the proper use of federal funds from the programs for which it is responsible. ACL's responsibilities include oversight of the activities of four programs created under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act): (1) Protection and Advocacy System for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), (2) State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (CDD), (3) University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and (4) Projects of National Significance (PNS)
No changes were recommended.
Family & Friends of Care Facility Residents
DD Act programs operate in every state. Accurate reporting to ACL by the four DD Act programs, including protection and advocacy systems for persons with developmental disabilities (PADD) is fundamental in meeting accountability requirements for programs receiving federal funds. It is necessary that the administering agency (ACL) understand PADDs' goals, activities and outcomes for the nation's diverse populations with developmental disabilities, the situations of their families and the range of services offered by states. The impact of PADD's activities on families of persons with disabilities and the states' human service systems have not been accurately reported. The report forms used by PADD do not transmit the information of vulnerable people living with lifelong disabilities and of federal grant programs which use litigation as a tool to eliminate long-term care facilities for citizens unable to care for themselves (PADD's “systems change” goals). Further, it is not a requirement of PADD to submit data in their reports to ACL on mortality and sentinel events (911 calls or ER visits) of citizens with cognitive and developmental disabilities. See for example the deaths of vulnerable residents in GA and VA following their forced transitions from long-term care facilities
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
Family & Friends of Care Facility Residents
None
Persons who are impacted by ACL policies and DD Act program activities, including P&As have been excluded from policymaking by the agency. ACL last held public hearings (“Listening Sessions”) in 2010. The nearest ACL Listening Session to Arkansas families was in Dallas, Texas and three of our family members attended. Our experience was that families of persons with high-needs-care and who receive services in a long-term care facility were excluded from Day Two of the listening session. Despite our request (submitted in writing to ACL) to come to DC to participate in the agency's strategic planning sessions, we were not notified or invited. Later, we found the published reports of the listening sessions to be inaccurate and highly partisan
No changes were recommended.
Family & Friends of Care Facility Residents
None
Simple forms with boxes to check are insufficient to accurately and fully report the diverse and complex realities of the population with developmental disabilities to ACL. Health and safety of persons unable to care for themselves who are nonverbal and for whom there is no cure, their aging primary caregivers, the lack of specialized, licensed long-term care facilities for persons with cognitive and developmental disabilities, and the use of jails and hospitals as emergency placements for high-needs persons are but some of the information which ACL should be receiving
Upon review of the current PPRs, no changes will be made at this time.
National Disability Rights Network
1C
The choices for the gender demographic question, nor the two answers appropriately reflect the time in which we live. It is not uncommon for P&A staff to feel constrained by the traditional definitions of female and male. Recommended broadening the choices to: Male, Female, Not Listed, Choose Not to Answer
ACL intends to update this element to reflect appropriate gender identity options.
Estimated Program Burden:
The following table summarizes the burden hour estimate for this information collection:
Number of states
Number of responses per state
Average burden hours per state
Total hours
57
1
128
7,296
The estimates of annual burden to the States vary in accordance with the size, program complexity, and technological capacity of the States. The annual burden on this form is estimated to be 128 hours.
PPR
Annual hours
estimate
(based on
previous OMB
burden estimates
PADD
90
PAAT
16
PATBI
16
HAVA
20
ONE PPR
128
Dated: April 26, 2022.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.
87 FR 26204
Web Citation
Suggested Web Citation
Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.
“Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Public Comment Request; of the One Protection and Advocacy Annual Program Performance Report OMB #0985-0063,” thefederalregister.org (May 3, 2022), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2022-09422/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-for-omb-review-public-comment-request-of-the-one-protection-and-advo.